Sanguis Astroism/Prophecies

Prophecies of Sanguis Astroism

The First Prophecy of Mathurin Hossenfeffer

From a vision received by the Prophet at the temple in Donghaiwei, Morek. At the time of the Prophecy, Austere and Auspicious were hidden, Maddening was bright, and Auspicious was in ascendancy.

The Prince of Strife showed me...

A crimson lord riding

the earth, quakes

Two brothers arm in arm

a jewel, lost

Three armies circling an eye

a trap, sprung

Four flags flying high

one frayed, falls

Five clouds concealing the Stars

a realm, ravaged

Six sheathed in shadows

a darkened dagger, drawn

Seven smiling rogues sit

a Queen, slain

Eight ships setting sail

a broken kingdom, won

Commentary on, and Interpretation of, The First Prophecy

No interpretation or commentary has yet been written.

The Second Prophecy of Mathurin Hossenfeffer

From a vision received by the Prophet at the temple in Mimer, Corsanctum. At the time of the Prophecy, Austere and Maddening were hidden, Auspicious was bright, and Maddening was in ascendancy.

The Lady of Fortune showed me...

On a barren heath; a man in black armour, bearing a broken sword and speaking with a voice of the dead saying "there is no hope" and throwing the sword to the ground, and a tree rising from the spot and hiding the man, and an infant sitting in the tree, swaddled in black and holding a cracked cup and speaking with a voice of those not yet born saying "there is no hope" and pouring water from the cup over the branches of the tree and silver flowers blooming from amidst the leaves hiding the infant, and a woman rose from the pool of water, garbed in black and with a crippled hand and speaking with a voice of the all the living saying "there is no hope" and raising the crippled hand to cover my eyes and when the hand was gone, so was the woman and the tree and the pool, and there was a stone there, under the light of the Stars.

Commentary on, and Interpretation of, The Second Prophecy

An interpretation of The Second Prophecy, by Bengt Algotsson, knight of Mimer; written upon conclusion of his studies under Bishop Medugnatos Stormcrow, High Inquisitor of Corsanctum, Count of Mimiravair.

In The Second Prophecy, first the Prophet tells us that this vision was showed him by the Lady of Fortune, the Auspicious Star, who was bright at the time. This I interpret as the prophecy referring to fortune, luck, to events out of human control; for "the Auspicious Star has not even the slightest deviation or divergence from its alloted path", as the Prophet said.

But this is not sufficient. The Prophet also says elsewhere, "We can easily see that Auspicious is bright today, bright enough to still be visible in the daylight, and yet to merely describe the Star as 'bright' misses an infinity of nuance and connotation". One such connotation is the ascendant nature of the Maddening Star at the time of the Prophecy. Maddening "conforms [...] to the raw, uneducated beast within us that reacts immediately to external stimuli". Thus I interpret the prologue to the Prophecy as such: the text refers to events outside our control, but about which we feel very strong, raw emotions nonetheless.

Next we see the text of the Prophecy is closely related to the Mimer sermon about "the Sword, the Cup and the Open Hand". These are essential concepts for the Faith. Before anything else, we should notice that the Prophecy reveals new information about the nature of each of these three paths.

The Sword is associated with a man in armor, a warrior. Also its companions are a barren heath and speech in the "voice of the dead". Thus war, death and lack of fertility are unavoidable companions of the path of the Sword. "We can present the Faith with the Sword, showing the might of those who follow the Bloodstars", said the sermon in Mimer. But we must be careful, lest such a show of strength leads to the creation of a barren desert, unsuitable for the growth of the Faith.

The Cup is associated with an infant, a growing tree, and the "voice of those not yet born". These are the exact opposites of all symbols associated with the Sword. The infant and the warrior, the barren heath and the growing tree, the "not yet born" and the dead are irreconcilable aspects of existence, from one point of view; but also complementary, and necessary for each other's existence. One grows into the other, the other goes forth and makes place for that which grows.

So how do we bring together into equilibrium these divergent forces? The Open Hand seems to provide the answer. The Prophecy associates it with a woman, a pool of water, and the "voice of the living". The pool of water can exist on the barren heath, and is needed by the tree for growth. The woman, consort to the warrior and mother to the infant, provides the link between the two that makes life possible. She does not conquer the world through either might or growth; but kind persuasion is her tool of choice. She is indispensable to the other two, who would each destroy themselves if left unbound.

Thus, I venture to say, this is the first lesson the Prophecy teaches us, about the relationship between the three paths. Those who bear the Sword are to go forth and make place for the growth of the Faith. Yet they must be careful not to trespass over land fertile for the Faith, and make it barren. Those who bear the Cup are to place the seeds of the Faith in this cleared land, and to nurture its growth. And the way of the Open Hand is to provide a link between the two and to maintain the harmony of the whole process.

Yet this is not the whole Prophecy. For how can one read it and not notice that the warrior, the infant and the woman are all wearing black; that the sword is broken, the cup cracked and the hand crippled; and the chorus of the living, dead, and unborn voices proclaims "there is no hope"? This by no means refers to the state of the Faith today, which is thriving beyond any other human enterprise on Dwilight. But I interpret it, in conjunction with the prologue, to be a reminder that we still live under the rule of chance. What if our best efforts come to disastrous results? What if we should ever find ourselves in a situation where the Sword, the Cup and the Open Hand are equally ineffective, and all hope is gone? I am told such situations have occured within living memory, for instance on the continent of Beluaterra, where human presence was almost extinguished by monsters several times. What then?

And after asking this question, the Prophecy comes to its central mystery. When all else is removed, there is only one answer remaining: "there was a stone there, under the light of the Stars". The stone - I have assiduously looked through all known Holy Texts and found no other reference to it. And yet here it appears as the central message of the Prophecy. What does it mean? This is open to much thought. This humble knight found the following interpretation the most compelling. When all other Paths have failed; when a great storm comes, and breaks all swords that try to fight it, all trees that brace to survive it, and all hands that beckon it to stop its course; when we are under the worst excess of misfortune, and the worst feelings invade us; then there is only the way of the Stone. The Path of the Stone is to be unmovable "under the light of the Stars"; to weather even the worst storm by staying strong in the Faith. For as long as there is even one Stone remaining, when the tempest has passed, there is still hope that a new Tree will sprout from the seed sheltered beneath it.

Thus let us rejoice in this Prophecy. For the Stars have sent through the Holy Prophet new meanings about the Sword, the Cup and the Open Hand. They have also taught us that even in the worst adversity, there will be a Stone under their light that we can rely on. This is the interpretation on Bengt Algotsson, knight of Mimer.